“We don’t need everyone to go to theatre schools; but theatre needs to reach the schools,” says Manu Jose, director of Ala, a community theatre space in Mulanthuruthy, Ernakulam. A centre for alternative education, Ala is about the kind of learning that extends beyond books. “The marks a student gets is not a reflection of his or her true potential,” adds Manu, who employs a mix of various methods in training his students.
An actor, storyteller, educator and theatre artist, Manu conceived Ala as a space for people to learn how to think, rethink, gain confidence and change – where they can unleash the artist within them. “I want to be able to help people use the tools of theatre to explore their own personalities – to build, rebuild and apply these skills in their daily lives,” he says.
“It is a space for people of all ages to question themselves and find their answers together.” Established in 2019, Ala is a professional black box theatre that conducts acting and drama classes for all ages. The acoustically-treated space is used for theatre festivals and workshops, not to mention performances.
A recent play performed by the students at Ala was ‘Easa’, a theatrical adaptation of Shihabuddin Poythumkadavu’s novel, directed by theatre veteran Narippatta Raju, who has over 40 years of experience. “Ala is one of the best theatre groups in Kerala. I was happy to be able to teach and transform the young, fresh and creative minds at Ala to perform at TDM Hall, Ernakulam,” says Raju.
Anil Eswaramangalam, a professional psychotherapist and a member of the first acting batch at Ala, says: “When I first joined the batch, the sessions lasted for three hours, during which we felt relaxed and positive. Every activity and game nudged us to look into our own thoughts, inhibitions and how we emoted.”
He adds that theatre is used as a “therapy”.
“Expressing our emotions and looking at ourselves from another angle have a therapeutic effect,” explains Anil. “Portraying a character demands so much of your emotions, body movements and thoughts that it gives us a wide scope for transformation.”
For Ealias Saju, an operator trainee at a multinational corporation, theatre practice at Ala has been a transformative process. “We all had our collection of thoughts and political views before joining the first acting batch at Ala, after which, all our ideas underwent a massive change,” he says.
Ala is gearing up for the ‘Amuse’ (Ala Music Sessions) project. It will also involve open mic sessions.